EPA ruling a setback for coal plants?
The ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency puts the nation a step closer to federal regulation of carbon dioxide emissions. The regulation could come through action of the EPA or Congress.
“I can’t think of any way that today’s news is anything but bad news for the coal industry,” said Glen Hooks of the Sierra Club, which opposes the plant proposed by Southwestern Electric Power Co.
Shreveport, La.-based SWEPCO is seeking to build a $1.6 billion, 600-megawatt power plant in Hempstead County. A June ruling by the state Court of Appeals overturned the state Public Service CommissionÂ’s decision to approve a permit for the proposed John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant, and SWEPCO is now appealing that decision to the state Supreme Court.
The Appeals Court said the commission was required to consider all matters related to SWEPCOÂ’s application in a single proceeding, but instead it considered several related issues in separate proceedings.
Scott McCloud, spokesman for SWEPCO parent company American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio, said the ruling by the EPA will have no immediate impact on the permitting process for the Turk plant because the ruling is only a step toward future regulation and does not trigger any immediate caps on emissions.
“EPA’s action isn’t a surprise. We’ve been expecting it,” McCloud said.
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The CIB and private sector partners to invest $1.7 billion in Lake Erie Connector
TORONTO - The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and ITC Investment Holdings (ITC) have signed an agreement in principle to invest $1.7 billion in the Lake Erie Connector project.
Under the terms of the agreement, the CIB will invest up to $655 million or up to 40% of the project cost. ITC, a subsidiary of Fortis Inc., and private sector lenders will invest up to $1.05 billion, the balance of the project's capital cost.
The CIB and ITC Investment Holdings signed an agreement in principle to invest $1.7B in the Lake Erie Connector project.
The Lake Erie Connector is a proposed 117 kilometre underwater…
